You typically use it to unlock your phone but did you know that it can be configured for other functions as well? Here's how:

Lock Down Apps Selectively

Normally, you should protect access to your device with a fingerprint, passcode or pattern. But in some cases, there are multiple people using one device. In such a case, you may want to keep your Whatsapp, Photos, Calendar, Email etc. locked with a password while allowing access to other apps, games, YouTube and Google search.

AppLock — Fingerprint Unlock (by Cheetah Mobile) is free and contains no ads. You can selectively choose which apps to lock. Even settings like WiFi/Bluetooth use, app installs and phone calls can be locked. Finally, a feature called Intruder Selfie snaps a photo with front camera of the person who (unsuccessfully) tries to unlock your device.

Free apps can be downloaded easily but when it comes to paid apps, Google will prompt you for your password — just to make that it’s actually you making the purchase. If no one else (read: no kids) handles your phone, you can make this step faster.

Open Play Store and head to the Settings by tapping the three horizontal lines. Check the box that says ‘fingerprint authentication’. If you have a stored fingerprint on the device, you can just place your finger to complete the transaction.

Your Private Journal

Remember those old diaries with physical locks on the side? Journey (free with in-app purchases; by Two App Studio) is the app equivalent, secured with a passcode and fingerprint. You can make entries in your journal (up to 4 photos or 1 video per entry) and have them synced across your devices using the cloud (Journey is available for Android, Chrome desktop, cloud and on Windows/MAC). It looks great because it adds a lot of digital flourishes to your entries: weather, geotags and social sharing options.

Keep Passwords Secure

It is a good habit to have different passwords for different accounts and that you can have password vaults on your device to protect access to these passwords. The password vault acts as a secure place to store all your passwords, protected by a single, master password.

Well, if you use LastPass on Android, one of the leading password managers, you can also use your fingerprint as the master password as well as to enter passwords (autofill) on known sites.

This service by Samsung has officially launched today (22 April 2017). Available on select Samsung Galaxysmartphones, it allows you to pay for purchases at select merchants by just using your fingerprint. Merchant POS machines will have a Samsung Pay logo on them, indicating that you can just swipe your phone over them to pay.

Eligible phones will get a software upgrade and the Samsung Pay app on their devices. Once you set it up with your fingerprint and passcode, you can your credit or debit cards (and this info is securely stored with encryption on the device). Up to 10 cards can be added at this time.

Showing Selective Photos from Gallery

Don’t you just hate it when you pass your phone to someone to show a photo and they start swiping though all the images in your gallery? Caramel Apps, the makers of Solo Photo, feel your pain. You can select a bunch of photos (or just one) that you want to show and open them in Solo Photo. This will be locked with your fingerprint.

Then you can safely hand over your phone knowing that your friend will only be able to view the photos you have allowed. The basic version is free, ad-supported and allows you some functionality. To unlock all the features (including the ability to select multiple photos at once), it costs US$ 1.99.

Fingerprints as Gestures

An app called Fingerprint Gestures (free with in-app purchases; by SuperThomasLab) lets you use a stored fingerprint to initiate certain actions. This is a feature built in on Google Pixel but you can enable it on other devices too. You can use these gestures to launch an app, control music playback, activate the torch, change ringing modes, open notifications and so on.

Some of the gestures will only work on Android 6.0 onwards. Your success with this may vary depending on your particular device. Some devices have large fingerprint sensors while others may have a narrow oval — this seems to be the primary reason why the gestures work or fail.

Your Fingerprint as a Camera Shutter

Some devices have this feature built into the stock camera app — the ability to just tap the fingerprint sensor to capture a photo rather than tapping the screen. Look through the settings of the camera app. If not available, you can add it to any Android phone with Dactyl (Rs 130 as one time purchase; by Nick Yelito).

To make sure that it works well for you (there can be so many variations in Android hardware) the developer has a free trial version that gives you 10 uses to check with your favourite apps. If it works for you and you find it useful, you can purchase the full app.